The invention relates to a cam control connection arrangement for influencing the control times of valves of an internal combustion engine, in which case the arrangement has two devices that are arranged coaxially with respect to one another and are equipped with machine elements that transmit rotating motions, of which one device is radially adjustable with respect to the other device and interacts with a camshaft actuating the valves.
In the case of a known arrangement of the initially mentioned construction described in European Patent Application (EP-A) No. 0 147 209, the devices interact with the crankshaft on the one hand and with the camshaft on the other hand, in which case the arrangement is arranged as an extension of the camshaft.
An internal combustion engine is also disclosed in German Published Unexamined Application (DE-OS) No. 34 21 028 in which two camshafts that are arranged in parallel to one another and that per cylinder actuate two inlet valves and two outlet valves, are driven by means of a chain. A chain adjuster is provided between the load end and the loose end of the chain.
It is an objective of the invention to arrange the cam control connection arrangement in such a way that, on the one hand, two parallel camshafts of an internal combustion engine are driven and, on the other hand, the control times of the valves can be influenced.
According to the invention, this objective is achieved by disposing the cam control connection arrangement between two camshafts disposed above the valves in a cylinder head.
Primary advantages that can be achieved by means of the invention are that the cam control connection arrangement serves not only as a connecting element between the two camshafts, but also influences the control times of the valves, preferably the inlet valves. The arrangement, because of its location between the camshafts, requires little space. In preferred embodiments, the cam control connection arrangement is disposed completely below the plane passing through the camshaft axes.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, the cam control connection arrangement is held in bearings in an easily mountable and well supported way. Finally, the tensioning elements between the loose end and the load end of conventional camshaft chain drives are not required because of the construction of the cam control connection arrangement.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.